Effectiveness of Community-Engaged Research Strategies in Increasing COVID-19 Vaccinations in Targeted Communities: The Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Regional Teams

Abstract

Objectives. To explore a key outcome of interest for the Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Regional Teams by examining COVID-19 vaccinations over time in US counties where CEAL teams operated and comparing them to demographically similar counties in the same state. Methods. Our evaluation used a nonequivalent control group design. Each county where a CEAL team operated was matched to a unique non-CEAL county in the same state. Components of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index were used as the matching criteria. COVID-19 vaccinations (county-level percentage of residents aged 18 years or older who are fully vaccinated) for CEAL and matched counties were analyzed over time. Results. The mean percentage of vaccinated adults was significantly higher in CEAL counties than in matched non-CEAL counties. Sensitivity analyses confirmed conclusions did not change depending on the CEAL cohort or closeness of matches. Conclusions. Our findings support CEAL team efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccinations in target communities and employ community-engaged research more broadly within public health contexts. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S1):S124–S127. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307517 )